Have a Heart - Save the Date, Save a Life

Your signature is more powerful than you know. Amnesty International's Global Write-A-Thon is December 5-13, 2009. Register here if you are not with a local group. Residents of other countries, see this link.

[photograph by Giampaolo Macorig via flickr. Full size format, here.]

Tonight on 60 Minutes - Congo Gold

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Five million people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo in a war fueled primarily from gold mined in the country by warlords. Scott Pelley reports. 60 Minutes, Sunday, Nov. 29, 7 p.m. ET/PT.

We'll update the link with the full story as it becomes available. Enough Project's Raise Hope for Congo page for additional information & actions you can take, here.

[photograph by PHGCOM via wikimedia commons]

Attention Must Be Paid - Week's End

GG does exactly what the kitten is doing...only on the laptop! Have a good evening while we chase her around the apartment. [audrey hepburn complex/tumblr via we heart it]

Happy Thanksgiving!

We repeat last year's vintage card (still looking suspiciously like Hallowe'en-turned-Thanksgiving) because we must dash. For those celebrating here in the States, have a safe & great holiday.

ciao-meow/GG & her editor

[image via Vintage Holiday Crafts]

Hunger Bytes

A billion for a billion. An international video competition sponsored by the World Food Programme--go for it. Entries accepted through 31 December 2009. Watch it, pass it along. Thank you.

[Southern Sudanese women drag bags of grain to a central collection point dropped by WFP chartered airplane in the village of Pochalla, Jonglei state © Peter Martell/IRIN]

Made4Aid Monday - London Calling

We're reviving Made4Aid Monday...not enough people are bidding to keep us happy. These cards are not on auction but available without bidding. Below are a few details, but you'll be sorry if you don't hop over & see all 16 cards. Really beautiful. (They'd make a great gift. Ahem.)

"These cards will be on sale until around early December or so... for a minimum donation of $1.70 per card. This isn't an auction - you're not bidding against anyone else as I can make up more cards for the next person - you can simply pay and I'll mail your cards to you once your payment is received....Postage for up to 8 cards would be: UK - free; Europe - $1.90; Worldwide outside Europe - $2.40. If you want to buy more than 8 cards please email..."...

ciao-meow/GG's editor

[photo collage by Made4Aid/used with kind permission]

Eclipsing the Sun

So cool, we couldn't pass it up. Have a great Sunday evening.

[Buck Eclipses the Sun via animalphotos]

Autumn Wall - Week's End

Lovely winding vine-twine from Giampaolo Macorig in Rome. A good weekend to all.

1 Dollar is a fortune

IKEA's 2009 Soft Toy Aid tag line.* It matters not if you purchase a teensy rat (eek!) or something larger. IKEA donates the equivalent per soft toy purchased to UNICEF & Save the Children. A double-dip thought: adopt one more toy than you need & donate to Toys for Tots. (*£1 in the UK, €1 elsewhere)

ciao-early-merry-meow/the Management

[GG Central collage from IKEA images]

Can You Hear Me Now? Again?

While we are under the weather, some updates on Darfur, South Sudan, & Congo (DRC). Today from Enough Project's John Prendergast on New Legislative Action Tackles Congo's Conflict Minerals. Please click through to the take action link for suggestions regarding personal electronic purchase & recycling. Thanks.

[photographs by drburtoni & Mvemba Phezo Dizolele/Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting]

Swan Sunday

UPDATE Tuesday, 17 November 2009. GG Central is under-the-weather again. (What a bore.) Please visit links, especially Made4Aid & Darfur Peace & Development Organization. Ciao-meow...cough...

Have a lovely Sunday. [black, mute, & whooper swans via animalphotos]

Made4Aid Holiday Shopping - Week's End

Start your holiday shopping this weekend by visiting the Made4Aid site. There are some beautiful items on auction now. Also the Women's Peace Collection (formerly the Amber Chand Collection) & Darfur Project - Eclectic Bags. We're in a hurry, no doubt about it. More soon...but there's plenty to investigate on GG links.

ciao-rushed-meow/GG Central

[Made4Aid photographs/all rights reserved/used with kind permission]

Opportunity Knocks

We'll be with you soon. Must check this out. Ahem.

[from cute overload:) via we heart it]

GG Central Breakfast Special

The special? Donate some time or funds (or both) to a humanitarian organization & we won't pester you about it until...tomorrow. If you're blogger, sneak in some do-gooder business. It's a deal, OK? Here's one of our very favorite organizations. Yes, we're running late. What else is new?

ciao-meow/GG's short-order cook

[photograph from Motley Photos via we heart it]

IKEA's Soft Toy Aid 2009 Begins

For every soft toy you purchase from now until December 24, 2009, $1 will be donated to UNICEF and Save the Children. (See here for other countries' currency donations.) This year's campaign tag line is $1 is a Fortune. And so it is. This year, the soft toys got together & made a darling video. There's an interactive website for us regular people to join in, here. We will be featuring the soft animals as we did last year. They are so cute & very inexpensive.

At the moment, GG is asleep beside ancient Celeste the IKEA Pig (her full name). We just might keep one of the toys this year for GG, too.

[GG Central collage made from IKEA images/2008 archives]

Remembrance Sunday

A red poppy to all Commonwealth soldiers & veterans who have served or are serving currently. We are in the States, but are thankful for your service, as we are for GG's human uncle, a cat lover, serving in Afghanistan.

a subdued ciao-meow/GG's editor

[public domain image]

Everybody Wants to be a Cat - Week's End

Everybody wants to be a cat,
because a cat's the only cat
who knows where it's at...--The Aristocats

Some Thursday afternoon fun via stlyrics. Update: The video disappeared from stlyrics but we found the person who made the YouTube video (bea142 --thanks!), here.

ciao-meow/GG Central Cinema

GG Garden Reminder - Indoor Bulb Time

It's time (almost past time) to persuade the paperwhite (& others). Please see here for last year's New York Times article by Anne Raver on forcing bulbs. Also, here on GG's editor's blog. Yes, she does more than cater to GG & (try to) persuade people on other, weightier matters. For instant gratification, amaryllis & paperwhite kits are hard to beat...but branch out. If you don't have a cold mudroom, garage, balcony, don't worry, a fridge will do just fine. You'll be so happy if you do this, trust us.

Happy Wednesday!

GG's floral designer

[flower photographs via White Flower Farm; image of Amaryllis via artmagik]

Neapolitan Ice Cream Skinny Scarf

This gorgeous, aptly-named long cable scarf is at Made4Aid as of this morning. A similar one was nearly ours but we dropped the ball of yarn, so to speak. This would make a great holiday gift. The bidding began at $15.00 (!). Try to beat that anywhere. Anytime. Can be used as a gelato substitute if you're on a slimming regime before the holidays. Ahem. Now scurry on over & just try to take this away from us.

Speaking of Italy (we were, sort of), check out Cacio e Pepe, a GG Central favorite at A Cup of Jo's today. Joanna went to our favorite places on her honeymoon in August. See southern Italy & Roma through Joanna & her Alex's eyes, here.

ciao-belated-congratulations-meow to Joanna & Alex!

[photographs property of Made4Aid/used with kind permission]

A Ginger Sunday

GG has a vet appointment tomorrow & that means so does her editor. GG can do many amazing things, but hailing a taxi, calculating a tip, & writing checks are not part of her portfolio. (Good Lord, we hope not. Haven't checked the bank statement lately!) If you're rambling 'round the Internet looking for some good clean fun (well, of course you are), head over to Made4Aid & bid on something for an upcoming birthday or holiday gift. There are some very pretty handmade things--the latest is about $7. Yes, really.

Have a wonderful Sunday evening. (A cheery spring Monday to our friends in the Antipodes!)

ciao-meow/GG Central

[photograph of the adorable & thoughtful Elmo (top) by tnt.dc via animalphoto; second, unknown. Let us know if you do. A croissant cat if we ever did see one.)